Celebrating a Community of Accomplishment:
Minnesota State University Moorhead Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
February 20, 2009

I am proud and humbled
to take my place as the 10th president of Minnesota State University
Moorhead, a great institution of the Minnesota State Colleges and
Universities system. I love MSUM; I accept this awesome responsibility;
and I pray each day for the wisdom to lead this wonderful community into
the coming years.

I stand here before you today shaped
by many years of experiences, some good, some not so good. Most dear to
me were those involving people who believed in me and challenged me to
discover and achieve my potential. I believe that those experiences led
me to this university and to this day.

When I set my
sights on a university presidency, there was no question that I wanted
to lead a student-centered institution where such life changing
experiences were woven through the very fabric. I am fortunate to have
found the perfect place, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and I
proudly take this occasion to celebrate our community of accomplishment,
with just a few examples, and to share our vision for the future.

We had our beginnings as Moorhead Normal School in 1887 as the result of
a bill introduced by State Senator Solomon Comstock. Since then, we have
evolved into what we are today: a student-centered, Liberal Arts and
Science-based undergraduate institution with graduate and professional
programs that serve the needs of the state and region.

The caring nature of the faculty and staff is core to the institutionís
past, present, and future. Stories of long gone alumni share this common
theme with those of our current students. I continue to hear about
professors whose belief in students changed their lives, faculty who
helped students accomplish the impossible, and staff members who cared
well above and beyond the call of duty.

Given the
nature of our university, it should come as no surprise that eight of
our faculty members have been named as Carnegie Foundation Minnesota
State Professors of the Year. These awards are the pinnacle of
recognition for teaching and its impact on students. With eight, MSUM
has more than any other university in Minnesota or in the region. Only
14 universities in the country have more. These eight are just the tip
of the iceberg. To use an Athletics analogy: we have tremendous bench
strength in teaching excellence.

Our students are
pretty spectacular as well. We have Goldwater scholars, regional Emmy
recipients, winners of prestigious national and regional competitions,
and many more honors across all of our colleges. In addition, our
students lead critical volunteer and advocacy efforts and play major
roles in campus governance. I have been most impressed by the level and
quality of student participation and leadership.

We
often joke that if we pressed a button and all of our alumni
disappeared, many local and state industries would collapse. In my seven
months and 20 days at MSUM, I have met many wonderful alumni, for
example, CEOs, K-12 teachers of the year, media leaders, health care
professionals, writers, elected officials, non-profit and governmental
leaders, and the list goes on and on. Like our faculty, staff, and
students, these accomplished and special people make me all the more
proud to be here, and to be your President.

Today, like
most universities in the nation, we weather the economic storm and
prepare to cut budgets. At the same time, we are working together on our
vision for the future. Although we are still in process, I can tell you
that:

We will survive and thrive.

We will emphasize our essence: a faculty mentored,
student-centered, rigorous education in a caring community.

We will continue to provide a high quality,
accessible education that changes lives.

I thank you for the opportunity to serve this
wonderful university and community. For me it is a dream come true. I
thank all of you for helping to make this day memorable for our MSUM
community and for me. And finally, I would like to say: Go Dragons!!